DEARBORN – Former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney addressed a crowd of Arab American students and their families on March 19, relating stories about her career as an unrelenting, anti-war human rights activist and politician.

Arab Student Union President Rashid Beyound, left, and Director of Recruitment Mahde Abdallah present the Humanitarian of the Year Award to former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.                  PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN

“It’s up to the students. They’re our way out,” she said about encouraging a young generation of activists to pull the country out of what she calls a political system entrenched in a culture of war, “responsible for torture, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace.”
McKinney is known for having faced intense backlash from lobbying groups as a result of speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights while serving as a U.S. congresswoman from Georgia. Finance efforts of pro-Israel lobby groups resulted in her defeat in the 2003 race for her seat, which she had held since 1993. She was elected again in 2005, and defeated a second time in 2007. She ran for president on the Green Party ticket in 2008.

More recently, she embarked on multiple trips to besieged Gaza in efforts to help humanitarian convoys reach the territory by boat.

“I don’t know how to swim, but I did it anyway,” McKinney said to a Dearborn crowd of about 400 at the annual dinner of the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Arab Student Union.

Her efforts landed her in an Israeli jail, where she spent 7 days.

A day after being released, she was in Egypt with the Viva Palestina aid convoy, where she finally made it into Gaza by land with a group of 200 activists including New York City Councilman Charles Barron, Dead Prez rapper M-1 and British Member of Parliament George Galloway. The group was allowed to take with them two ambulances and 11 truckloads of medical supplies.

“I’m not Palestinian. I’m not Arab. I’m not even Muslim. But I believe in justice,” said McKinney.

She spoke on her travels and political efforts going back to her days as a Georgia legislator, opposing war and inequality throughout the world from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Congo and Australia.

“Underlying all of these acts is my belief in the universal doctrine of human rights,” she said.

The Arab Student Union presented McKinney a “Humanitarian of the Year” award.

The group also honored The Arab American News, which is celebrating 25 years of publication, with a special tribute.

Publisher of The Arab American News Osama Siblani said the tribute was one of the most meaningful the paper has received, because it came from a group of young people who weren’t yet born when the paper was established. He said the dynamic group of young activists are sure to carry on the torch of supporting and advancing Detroit’s Arab American community.

ASU members also presented community activist Nadia Fadel-Bazzi with an “Empowering the Youth” award, Fordson High School Principal Imad Fadlallah with a community service award and Don Unis – the 71-year old co-founder of massive social services agency ACCESS and longtime community patriarch – with a “Lifetime Achievement” award.